Abstract

Jonardon Ganeri has written an impressive book that is a must-read for anyone interested in cross-cultural philosophy. Attention, Not Self moves Buddhist philosophy further into the center of contemporary philosophical debates about self, personhood, agency, action, perception, attention, and the kinds of mental content. The book is focused on work attributed to a single philosopher, the fifth-century Theravāda monk Buddhaghosa. However, this book is much more than an exegesis of Buddhaghosa's work. It is, in its own right, an original exploration of foundational issues in the philosophy of mind, consciousness, personhood, and self. Ganeri's aim is to think about long-standing problems in a fresh, new light, and...